Prince of Wales Tower facts for kids

Oldest Martello Tower in North America

The Prince of Wales Tower is a really old and important building in Canada. It is the oldest martello tower in all of North America. You can find it in Point Pleasant Park in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This tower was built way back in 1796. It was first used as a strong fort (called a redoubt) and a place to store gunpowder (a powder magazine). Later, it was fixed up and became a National Historic Site of Canada in 1943.

Building History: How the Tower Began

In 1796 and 1797, a royal person named Edward, Duke of Kent, helped build a special fort. This fort was made to protect the area from attacks. A few years later, this fort was changed into a big, round stone tower. It looked a lot like other Martello Towers that the British army built in many places. The Prince of Wales Tower is named after Edward's older brother, who would later become George IV of the United Kingdom.

Halifax once had five Martello Towers. But today, the Prince of Wales Tower is the only one left standing. It's a special reminder of the past!

Tower Structure: What It Looks Like

The Prince of Wales Tower is 26 feet tall. It is also 72 feet wide across its base. The outside of the tower is made from strong stone called ironstone. Its walls are very thick, about 8 feet thick! This tower is short and round, almost three times wider than it is tall.

When it was first built, the tower could hold six cannons on its roof. It also had four cannons on its second floor. The second floor was meant for soldiers to live in. The ground floor was used for storing supplies. The tower was big enough to hold 200 soldiers inside.

Over the next 70 years, the tower was changed a few times. By 1813, it had different types of cannons. After 1864, the tower was used mainly to store military supplies safely. The roof of the tower was replaced in 2016 to keep it in good shape.

Gallery

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  Prince of Wales Tower

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  The Tower around the year 1800

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  Staircase inside the Tower

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  Information Plaque at the Tower

Tower's Legacy: What It Left Behind

• The tower gave its name to Tower Road in Halifax, Nova Scotia.